Rotary engine.



No. 809,180. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906. H. A. FREDLUND.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Application filed June 5, 1905. Serial No. 263,893-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it .known that I, HENNING A. FRED- LUND, a subject of the King of England, residing at Dubuc, in the Province of Assa, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ,appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to rotary steam-engines.

One object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine so constructed that vibration will be reduced to a minimum.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a construction and arrangement of such character that the engine will require very little space and can be mounted upon any particular form of base or foundation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an engine of such character that it may be readily compounded.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a single machine. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a compound engine built in accordance with my invention. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a compound engine built in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the reference character 1 designates a casing mounted upon a suitable base 2, the characters 3 and-4 designating the heads of the cylinder, each of which has its inner face projecting inwardly of the cylinder, with its flanged portion secured against the corresponding ends of the casing by means of suitable astenings 5.

The head 4 has a central opening which is smaller at its inner end, as at 6, than its outer enlarged portion 7, the shaft 8 being passed through the central opening of the head 4 and having a collar 9 arranged for position almost adjacent the inner face of the said head, with its outer end reduced, as at 10, and screw-threaded for the reception of the nut 11, which is arranged within the recess 12 of the head 3 and which does not contact with the walls of the latter.

A piston 13 is arranged for rotation within the casing 1, the piston having a central bore 14 for engagement upon the shaft 8 between the collar 9 and the nut 11, the bore 14 being reduced at one end, so that that end of the piston may embrace the reduced portion 10 of the shaft. A suitable bushing 15 is arranged in the portion 7 of the opening of the piston 4 for a purpose well understood. It will be observed that the ends 16 and 17 of the piston 13 are in the form of flanges and are of greater cross-sectional diameter within the body of the piston, which latter is ovalshaped, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the peripheries of the ends 16 and 17 of the piston being provided with suitable grooves for the reception of suitable packing-rings 18, which latter engage the inner surfaces of the casin 1.

lhe casing of the engine is provided with upper and lower inlet-ports 19 and 20, respectively, adjacent to each of which is an outlet-port or steam-exhaust 21 and 22, there being a housing arranged over each exhaustopening and consisting of the members 23 and 24, each of which is secured to the outer face of the casing by means of suitable fastenings 25.

Pivotally mounted upon one side of the exhaust-openings 21 and 22 by means of suitable pivot-pins 26 are gates, each having a segmental blade portion 27 and 28, respectively, which are secured at their upper ends to the free ends of the arms 29 and 30, which latter are pivotally connected to the casing, as aforesaid, there being another arm 30 and 31, respectively, arranged between the lower edges of the segmental blade portions and the arms 29 and 30. A strip of suitable packing material 32 is arranged in the side of the exhaust-opening opposite 'to the side upon which the gates are pivoted. These guides are held normally in engagement with the oval portion of the cylinder through the instrumentality of suitable springs a. N 0w IIO' since the body of the piston is of oval shape it will be readily appreciated that the gates will be raised and lowered into and out of engagement with their housings upon rotation of the piston. When steam is admitted into the casing through its inlet-ports, the piston will be caused to rotate, and upon rotation of the latter the gates will be raised and lowered according to the face of the body of the piston engaging the same. It will be noted that both gates are driven into their housings simultaneously and that by reason of the disposition of the inlet-ports back pressure will be prevented. Another feature to be observed is that the piston is not of necessity eccentrically mounted with respect to the casing.

In the compounding of the engine embodying my invention there would be no need of a valve, as the first cylinder would act as a valve for the secondthat is to say, full steam-pressure would be admitted into the first piston and would act compressively upon the second piston. When compounded, if the low-pressure cylinder is placed a little in advance of the high-pressure cylinder the invention will have no dead-center. Reference to Figs. 3 and 5 of the accompanying drawings will disclose the engine compounded in accordance with my invention, wherein the reference characters 33 and 34 designate the first and second pistons, respectively, the two pistons being formed, preferably, of a single piece of material and provided with the outer flanges 35, having grooves for the reception of suitable packingrings for engagement with the inner face of the cylinder 36, with an intermediate flange 37 arranged nearer the forward end of the casing than the rearward end thereof and provided with a suitable packing-ring 38 in its periphery for engagement with the inner face of the casing. The pistonis carried by a suitable shaft 39 in the compound arrangement, and the piston upon opposite sides of the intermediate flange 37 is oval in shape. As in the other form of the invention, the inlet-openings 19 and 20 are arranged adjacent the exhaust-openings 21 and 22, which latter openings are formed through the housings 40 and 41,there being a gate pivotally mounted within the housings 40 and 41, the latter having portions projected into a recess 42 in the casing 36, which latter has lips 43 engaging the under face of the housings 40 and 41 to assist the fastenings 44 in firml securing the housings with respect to the cy inder. The gates 44 and 45 in this compounding form of the invention are practically the same as the gates first described, the only difference residing in the fact that the portions 46 and 47 at the lower edges of the blades of the gates are turned outwardly, as clearly shown in the drawings. It might be stated that this particular form of gate may be used in a single engine in preference to the form hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in either form of engine the casing is steamtight by reason of the bushing and the packings illustrated and described, that my engine is exceedingly simple in construction and arrangement, and therefore comparatively inexpensive, and that by reason of its peculiar construction it may be made of any size and so light that it may be mounted upon a comparatively frail post.

lVhat is claimed is-- 1. A rotary engine including a casing having oppositelydisposed housings secured upon the outer periphery thereof, exhaustopenings leading through the casing and the housings, gates pivotally mounted for movement into corresponding housings and the casing, a piston arranged within the casing upon which the said gates normally rest, the said gates being arranged in the line of the exhaust-openings, and inlet-ports for the admission of steam for the rotation of the piston and to move the gates into and out of their respective housings.

2. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a piston mounted within the casing, the piston having end flanges and an intermediate flange arranged nearer one end flange than the other, the portions of the piston between said flanges being oval-shaped, exhaust-ports in the casing, a gate pivotally mounted within the line of each exhaust-opening, housings arranged for the reception of each gate when moved into one position, and intermediate ports for the reception of steam to rotate the piston and for moving the gates into and out of their respective housings.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENNING A. FREDLUN D.

Witnesses:

ANTON FREDLUND, H. O. YOUNG. 

